Last weekend, some of us over here at the Drink Me team were lucky enough to join for the world renown Flavor! Napa Valley event up north. We headed up on cold evening for an event aptly named The Appellation Trail: Tasting Napa Valley. After checking in at the Culinary Institute of America, we joined hundreds of tastemakers, winemakers and chefs for a gallant evening of the best wines that Napa Valley has to offer along with incredible tastes from Napa’s top restaurants and live music to fill in the gaps.

Perhaps one of our favorite aspects of the event, aside from the award winning wines, was the ability for us to taste our way though the Napa Valley Appellations. There were over a hundred wineries present, each spaced out by their individual sub-appellations in the valley – which let us taste through the terroir and differences that become apparent when you are able to taste several different wines across a small region. It was an incredible learning experience, and an opportunity to learn about the small locales, and how the micro-climates, local soil qualities and temperatures can have a large effect on grape growing and impact the wine that finally makes it into your glass. Even though some of these sub-regions are right up alongside each other, they can still produce two very different flavors.

We dove head on into the Howler Mountain sub-appellation, of which we knew very little about. At a recommendation from Anthony Diaz Blue (from the Tasting Panel Magazine) in a chance meeting, we tasted through virtually the wines from entire small region.

The night came to close, and (completely satiated) we were able to take the shuttle back to the Silverado Resort and Spa —the famed hotel that hosts many of the out of town guests for the weekend. If you haven’t had the luxury to stay at the hotel, we recommend it – it’s on beautiful grounds and is a convenient base to explore Napa, and be at ground zero for Flavor! Napa Valley.

We snuck away for a nightcap at Goose & Gander – a cozy napa bar and restaurant with an amazing cocktail menu to boot.

The event was perhaps one of the most amazing wine events that we’ve ever been to (and we’ve bee to a LOT). Not only because of the quality of wines and mouth watering food, but because there is a magic to celebrating a wine region in the heart of it’s birthplace. The Culinary Institute of America is a hub of haute cuisine and the space was very much alive, with some world famous chefs and iconic restaurants bringing life to its kitchens.

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The Flavor! Napa Valley event is an annual celebration of food and wine and includes a host of events from guided tastings, blind tastings, culinary demonstrations (Thomas Keller had an event this year!), cheese pairings and esteemed dinners. This year there were over 3500 attendees.

If you missed the fun, the celebration continues next year (2013) with the events scheduled November 20-24th. For more information, check out the website at: http://FlavorNapaValley.com

For a full list of wineries and chefs that participated:
http://flavornapavalley.com/events/the-appellation-trail-tasting-the-napa-valley/

Image by Marc Fiorito with Gamma Nine Photography

Do you make something tasty, authentic, and responsibly produced? Good for you! Want to be recognized for it? The Good Food Awards are now accepting entries for your delicious beers and spirits.

With a beer committee headed up by the owners of Mateveza and a spirits committee headed by Brittany Small and K&L Spirits Buyer David Driscoll, the Good Food Awards is well equipped to identify and honor those tastiest and ‘Good-est’ of beers and spirits.

Winners have the opportunity to be featured at the January 2013 awards ceremony hosted by none other than Alice Waters, as well as participation at the Good Food Marketplace at the San Francisco Ferry Building during the Saturday farmer’s market. Winners also receive placement in national media, a Good Food Awards seal to place on product, and eternal glory (obviously).

To enter, head here and fill out the application form. For general information about the awards and parent organization Seedling Projects, head on over to the Good Food Awards website. The entry period is August 5-31, 2012, so get cracking!

Every Year, the best of the best in the alcohol and bar world are awarded at Tales of the Cocktail‘s Spirited Awards. Here is the rundown of winners straight from the event in New Orleans.

CONGRATS TO THE BEST:

American Bartender of the Year:
Joaquin Simo

Best American Brand Ambassador:
Jim Ryan

Best American Cocktail Bar:
The Varnish – Los Angeles, California

Best Bar Mentor:
Steve Olson

Best High Volume Cocktail Bar:
Eastern Standard – Boston, Massachusetts

Best Cocktail Writing: 
Non-Book
Liquor.com

Author
David Wondrich

Best International Brand Ambassador:
Angus Winchester

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book:
PDT Cocktail Book

Best New Product:
Cognac Pierre Ferrand 1840 Formula

Best Restaurant Bar:
Slanted Door – San Francisco, California

International Bartender of the Year:
Alex Kratena

World’s Best Cocktail Bar:
The Connaught Bar – London, United Kingdom

World’s Best Cocktail Menu:
Callooh Callay – London, United Kingdom

World’s Best Drinks Selection:
Salvatore at The Playboy – London, United Kingdom

World’s Best Hotel Bar:
Artesian Bar at The Langham – London, United Kingdom

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar
 Criteria:
The Zetter Townhouse – London, United Kingdom

Chef Adam Dulye is paving the road for beer pairings nationally, and we got a small taste of some of the mouth watering dishes that he’ll be paring with a deluge of amazing beers that you’ve never tried.

Nat Cutler and Christian Albertson are the masterminds behind Monk’s Kettle, and we’re sure that they’ve stuck liquid gold once again.
We just need to get a reservation. Abbot’s Cellar officially opens next Wednesday (though we hear rumors that they might open sooner).

Check it.

http://www.abbotscellar.com/

**TO ENTER TO WIN: simply comment on the Facebook post HERE with your favorite seasonal food! We’ll choose a winner by the week’s end. **

If you don’t win, you can still get tickets and more info on their website:
http://www.cuesa.org/events/2012/cuesas-summer-celebration

Thanks and Good Luck!
We’ll see you there.

*If you’re out of town doing something super exciting and miss this event, save the date for the next Farmer’s Market Event: August 29th.

Pisco Party #1

When: June 7th, 2012

Where: Pisco Latin Lounge, SF

Who: You (21+), dressed up in your swankiest attire

What: San Francisco’s first pisco party. The first of many with all sorts of free-flowing pisco, bacchanalia, costumes, music, food, cocktails, and maybe even some nudity. Drink your way through 4 kinds of pisco, pisco cocktails, and show off at San FranPisco’s greatest party. Ticket includes all drinks, food, and ridiculous entertainment.

Why: Because we’re bringing back the spirit to Pisco

Buy tickets here (none sold at door):
piscoparty.eventbrite.com 

Sponsors:
PISCO PORTON (VIP too!)
ENCANTO PISCO
PISCO ORO
KAPPA PISCO

You can still get tickets if you’re a slacker: http://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com/

My most favorite things at the NCB show were, in no particular order:

1. Big Buck Hunter HD - That’s right folks, you will get to shoot all the bucks, cougars, and giraffes you want in stunning high definition quality at your local watering hole soon. It will also be connected online to other Big Buck Hunter HDs across the country, so you can compete against Joe Dirt in Alabama live from the comfort of your personal dingy dive bar.

2. Kaptive - The Kaptive Stamina Drink, Herbal Fresh flavor, was surprisingly awesome. I was assured upon getting my sample that there was in fact real coca leaf and that it was totally legal. It was a pleasant green tea flavor, slightly carbonated, and completely without any chemical flavor like other energy drinks. Not only was it delicious, it was powerful. My two ounce pour gave me a very quick jolt that pleasantly evened out to a general buzz without crashing later on. It is my new energy drink of choice.

3. Le Grand Saint Sparkling Vodka - Yeah you read that correctly, sparkling vodka. It did not win for best taste, but for Best Flair. It comes in a champagne bottle, has a specially formulated cap that keeps it bubbly for 3 months on a shelf, and there were girls in sparkly gold dresses wearing angel wings! The vodka is perfect for those who want champagne bottle service without the champagne hangover.

My least favorite things were, in very particular order:

1. NutLiquor - Say that 3 times fast. Yeah, that’s just one reason to avoid this “premium vodka”. It tastes like syrup made of fake caramel and some sort of nut flavoring. It is advertised as peanut butter flavored but that is pure blasphemy to the peanut world. They say you can enjoy it “neat…with no rubbing alcohol burn.” It’s also 69-Proof, for… sigh… obvious marketing reasons. Next time you’re at a bar, try asking for a Dirty Monkey Nuts (1 oz NutLiquor, a splash of Banana liquor, and a splash of Chocolate liquor) or Elvis’ Nuts (NutLiquor, Banana liquor, and a splash of Bakon Vodka) with a straight face. I dare you.

2. Toby Keith’s Wild Shot Mezcal - It was like if lighter fluid, bad tequila, and liquid smoke had a baby. You can “blame it on the worm” as Wild Shot’s slogan says.

Black Jack ($10): This sweet whiskey mashup contains Jack Daniels Honey, St. Vincent orgeat syrup and some fresh blackberries muddled throughout.  Yet somehow, with all of these sugary components, the drink manages to preserve a well-balanced finish that balances the subtler oak components of Jack with the tart tanginess of the fruit additives.

Bourbon Pig ($11): This is hands-down the trademark cocktail for this downtown mecca of meat.  Bacon fat washed Bulleit bourbon is enhanced with a dash of bitters and sugar before being garnished with a couple of crisped slices of actual pig ear.  Drop the fattened pork into the elixer and enjoy the added complexity of slight saltiness as it mixes with the deep and peaty tones of a fine aged Bourbon.  Why didn’t I think of this?

Citrus Tree ($10): Bacardi Superior rum is introduced to a concoction of Lychee liqueur  and grapes to make a colorful libation that packs a surprisingly serious punch.

Downtown Rise ($11):  This bright and friendly take on a margarita consists of Milagro tequila mixed with marmalade and mango puree with some agave syrup drizzled in at the end.  The flavors are more on the sweet and less on the tart as compared to a more traditional tequila drink.  But then again, this is a different beast altogether.  For an unexpected pairing, have a swig to wash down the strong flavors of pickled peppers and ham puree that dominate the PIGG Style Fries.

Red Sapphire ($12): This spectacular gin drink uses Bombay Sapphire as the backbone for an inventive ensemble that includes Earl Grey tea syrup and fresh lemon juice, topped by a frothy layer of egg whites.  Since the floral intricacies of gin are well paired with a salad, order yourself the Aromatic Chicken Salad from The Cure and see how that tickles your tastebuds.

On February 13, 2012 Herradura Tequila and UrbanDaddy sponsored a Mixologist Battle with four of San Francisco’s finest mixologists. It was a lively party, themed like an epic boxing match, complete with vintage gloves, posters, and even an announcer introducing each contender. Three judges were on hand to taste and grade each contender’s tequila cocktail: Robert Polacek of the Puccini Group;  Virginia Miller of the SF Bay Guardian; and Greg Lindgren of Rye on the Road, 15 Romolo, Rye, and Rosewood. Over 100 people attended the event at 111 Minna Gallery to watch Carlo Splendorini, Kate Bolton, Mike Vegas, and Joel Titelbaum battle it out to win a trip to Mexico, courtesy of UrbanDaddy. Joel Titelbaum won the bout and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is sitting on a beach right now drinking his winning libation, The Sleeping Sage. Enjoy the drink yourself and imagine you are soaking up the sun in tequila country too.

The Sleeping Sage
2oz Herradura Reposado
.5oz Benedictine
.5oz Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry
.5oz honey syrup
Rosemary bitters
1/2 of a lemon (in wedges)
6 sage leaves

Muddle sage and lemon. Add other ingredients.
Shake, double strain into glass.